1885.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



139 



turn for the many months of watchful care be- 

 stowed upon his young plants, till he sees them 

 coming into bloom. 



The love of flowers and plants inspires a taste 

 for all that is beautiful in nature. Children in gen- 

 eral love flowers and should be encouraged in 

 their love, and be taught how to grow and care 

 for them. Anything grown by them obtains a par- 

 ticular charm, only known to themselves. How 

 many seeds are thrown away by children thought- 

 lessly, that would to them be very interesting when 

 partially grown. After eating a delicious peach, 

 the stone should be planted three or four inches 

 deep in the ground, and the next year will de- 

 light the young eyes of the planter to see the 

 young peach tree growing nicely. Young fig 

 plants may be raised from most of the figs sold in 

 the stores by sowing in any old vessel partly filled 

 with fine rich earth, and will make interesting 

 plants. And nearly every seed of the date, that 

 children love so much, will grow and in a few 

 years make a pretty little palm tree (Phoenix dacty- 

 lifera). Lemon and orange seeds will also grow, 

 when planted in the spring, and form very interest- 

 ing plants — but of course these young orange, fig, 

 and palm trees being natives of warm climes, 

 must be brought into the house in winter, and will 

 make a variety among the window plants, and 

 though not very showy will be interesting to the 

 growers and encourage their taste for plants ; very 

 much from the fact of growing them themselves. 



With children a fanciful idea is often as great as 



the reality, giving as much real pleasure ; and their 



taste in this way should be encouraged. When 



young Miss Lucy sees her palm tree growing she 



calls in all her playmates to see it and partake of 



her joy, and she goes jumping around in an 



ecstacy of delight, not perhaps knowing that that 



young palm tree may live several generations. Its 



longevity is said to be very great. 



And Lucy's child, and gr.indchild too. 

 In coming years with pride noav view ; 

 And many a visit fondly plan'd 

 To see the plant from grandma's hand. 



Nearly every cocoanut sold in the shops will 

 grow and form a pretty palm tree which when 

 grown is called the Cocos. but these require the 

 care of the experienced gardener, must be grown 

 in strong moist heat, and are well adapted to 

 adorn our greenhouses and conservatories. 



Ckambersburg, Trenton, N. J. 



[This very suggestive letter of Mr. Bennett we 

 give with pleasure. Much satisfaction has been 

 had from memorial trees, planted at certain dates 

 in honor of certain events. But it is not always 



in season or convenient to plant a tree. A seed 

 which might, as Mr. Bennett says, be carelessly 

 thrown away, might be sowed on some particular 

 occasion, and the young plant become a constant 

 memorial for several generations. — Ed. G. M,] 



TO MAKE HANGING BASKETS. 



BY A. G. LEWIS. 



For years I have made very beautiful hanging 

 baskets in the following way : I take a stick as 

 thick as my wrist and 18 inches long. To the 

 stick I fasten a handle 4 inches from each end of 

 the stick. I use very strong wire for the handle. 

 When the handle is secure I commence rolling 

 and tying moss around the stick until I get it 

 entirely covered, of a nice shape, and about 8 

 inches thick, slightly tapering off at both ends. 

 Then I secure to it old roots. That being done, I 

 finish by again adding one or two layers more of 

 moss. The plants I prefer are Begonias, of the 

 Rex varieties. Those who have the means of 

 cultivating Orchids would find the above a suc- 

 cessful way for most of their varieties, not only on 

 account of the success in growing and blooming 

 them, but the advantage in using the baskets in 

 decorating in the house, as they can be hung, say 

 for an evening, in a bay window or such situation 

 as would be deemed best. Youngstown, Ohio. 



COAL TAR ON HOT. WATER PIPES. 



BY THOMAS LAWRANCE. 



I have heretofore given my only experience in 

 removing coal tar from hot-water pipes without 

 burning them. I will re-state that the pipes in 

 question were painted with tar from the gas works 

 here. A wash made with six pounds of potash to 

 about ten gallons of water was applied with a 

 swab boiling hot. The stuff left the pipes in inky 

 blackness, and by going over them two or three 

 times were left as clean as when first cast; and 

 there has never been a trace of tar in the house in 

 all these years since. The pipes are ordinary 4 

 inch cast iron, in lengths about 5 feet, called soil 

 pipe; made by J. L. Mott, N. Y. 



Ogdensburg, N. Y. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Platvcerium GRANDE. — The creature we 

 figure is not a mollusk but a fern. It is remark- 

 ably like a shell fish however, and the illusion has 

 been favored by its owner planting it in a large 



